Cinematic style of Christopher Nolan

Regarded as an auteur and postmodernist,Hill-Parks, p. 2.{{cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/preetam-kaushik/christopher-nolan-an-aute_b_1709297.html|title=Christopher Nolan, an Auteur in Contemporary Cinema?|date=27 July 2012|last=Kaushik |first=Preetam |work=The Huffington Post|access-date=8 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213092922/http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/preetam-kaushik/christopher-nolan-an-aute_b_1709297.html|archive-date=13 December 2013|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=http://www.grin.com/en/e-book/205383/time-memory-identity-the-films-of-christopher-nolan|title=Time, Memory & Identity: The Films of Christopher Nolan|last=Joy |first=Stuart|year=2009|work=Grin – Master's Thesis written by Stuart Joy|access-date=17 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201194745/http://www.grin.com/en/e-book/205383/time-memory-identity-the-films-of-christopher-nolan|archive-date=1 February 2014|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2017/07/dunkirk-oscar-strategy|title=Everything About Dunkirk Screams Oscar—So Why Is It Coming Out in July?|last=Lee|first=Chris|website=vanityfair.com|access-date=21 March 2020|archive-date=4 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804004611/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2017/07/dunkirk-oscar-strategy|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.haileybury.com/about-haileybury/our-story/notable-haileyburians/christopher-nolan/|title=Christopher Nolan|website=haileybury.com|access-date=1 June 2020|archive-date=14 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201214173752/https://www.haileybury.com/about-haileybury/our-story/notable-haileyburians/christopher-nolan/|url-status=live}} Nolan's visual style often emphasises urban settings, men in suits, muted colours, dialogue scenes framed in wide close-up with a shallow depth of field, inserts, and modern locations and architecture.{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/miranda/la-et-cam-architecture-of-dark-knight-20180823-story.html|title=How Christopher Nolan used architecture to alienating effect in 'The Dark Knight'|last=Miranda |first=Carolina A. |newspaper=Los Angeles Times|access-date=23 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180823170024/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/miranda/la-et-cam-architecture-of-dark-knight-20180823-story.html|archive-date=23 August 2018|url-status=dead}} Aesthetically, the director favours deep, evocative shadows, documentary-style lighting, hand-held camera work, natural settings, and real filming locations over studio work.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/07/the-reason-christopher-nolan-films-look-like-christopher-nolan-films/260087/|title=The Reason Christopher Nolan Films Look Like Christopher Nolan Films|last=Buckwalter |first=Ian |magazine=The Atlantic|access-date=7 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160717224525/http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/07/the-reason-christopher-nolan-films-look-like-christopher-nolan-films/260087/|archive-date=17 July 2016|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.britishcinematographer.co.uk/articles/24-robert-richardson-asc-on.html |title=Collaboration is king, Wally Pfister ASC and Christopher Nolan.|author= |work=British Cinematographer |access-date=29 July 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005005227/http://www.britishcinematographer.co.uk/articles/24-robert-richardson-asc-on.html |archive-date=5 October 2013 }}{{cite web|url=http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2012/12/dark-knight-director-christopher-nolan-discusses-keeping-batman-real|title='Dark Knight' Director Christopher Nolan Talks About Keeping Batman Real|last=Hechinger |first=Paul |work=BBC America|access-date=29 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005125230/http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2012/12/dark-knight-director-christopher-nolan-discusses-keeping-batman-real/|archive-date=5 October 2013|url-status=live}} His colour palettes have been influenced by his red-green colour blindness.{{cite web | url=http://www.bafta.org/media-centre/transcripts/christopher-nolan-a-life-in-pictures | title=A Life in Pictures: Christopher Nolan | work=BAFTA | date=2 December 2017 | access-date=21 April 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190421091746/http://www.bafta.org/media-centre/transcripts/christopher-nolan-a-life-in-pictures | archive-date=21 April 2019 | url-status=live }} Nolan has noted that many of his films are heavily influenced by film noir, and he is particularly known for exploring various ways of "manipulating story time and the viewer's experience of it."{{cite web|url=http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/2019/01/28/nolan-book-2-0-cerebral-blockbusters-meet-blunt-force-cinephilia/|title=Nolan book 2.0: Cerebral blockbusters meet blunt-force cinephilia|last=Bordwell|first=David|date=28 January 2019|work=Observations on film art|access-date=12 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190909104313/http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/2019/01/28/nolan-book-2-0-cerebral-blockbusters-meet-blunt-force-cinephilia/|archive-date=9 September 2019|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/sight-sound-magazine/features/christopher-nolan-escape-artist|title=Christopher Nolan: escape artist|last=Bevan|first=Joseph|date=18 July 2012|work=BFI|access-date=6 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130204072845/http://www.bfi.org.uk/news/sightsound/christopher-nolan-escape-artist|archive-date=4 February 2013|url-status=live}} He has continuously experimented with metafictional elements, temporal shifts, elliptical cutting, solipsistic perspectives, nonlinear storytelling, labyrinthine plots, genre hybridity, and the merging of style and form.{{cite web|title=Analysis: The Films of Christopher Nolan|last=Price |first=Alec |url=http://www.leftfieldcinema.com/analysis-the-films-of-christopher-nolan|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110128045314/http://leftfieldcinema.com/analysis-the-films-of-christopher-nolan|url-status=usurped|archive-date=28 January 2011|work=Left Field Cinema|access-date=23 December 2013|year=2010}}{{cite web|url=http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/2012/08/19/nolan-vs-nolan/|title=Nolan vs. Nolan|last=Bordwell|first=David|date=19 August 2012|publisher=Observations on film art|access-date=25 December 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131208152024/http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/2012/08/19/nolan-vs-nolan/|archive-date=8 December 2013|df=dmy-all}}Fischer, p. 37.{{cite web|url=http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/nolan-fincher-discuss-malick-tree-life-featurette/|title=Nolan and Fincher Discuss Malick in New 'Tree of Life' Featurette|last=Brevet |first=Brad |publisher=Fox Searchlight via Ropeofsilicon|access-date=20 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131220230258/http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/nolan-fincher-discuss-malick-tree-life-featurette/|archive-date=20 December 2013|url-status=live}}

File:Impossible staircase.svgs, geometric shapes, impossible constructions, and paradoxes are prominently featured in Nolan's work. The Penrose stairs featured in Inception as an example of the impossible objects that can be created in lucid dream worlds.|alt=A staircase in a square format. The stairs make four 90-degree turns in each corner, so they are in the format of a continuous loop.]]

Drawing attention to the intrinsically manipulative nature of the medium, Nolan uses narrative and stylistic techniques (notably mise en abyme and recursions) to stimulate the viewer to ask themselves why his films are put together the way they are and why they provoke particular responses.{{cite web|title=The Therapeutic Philosophy of Christopher Nolan|url=http://www.film-philosophy.com/conference/index.php/conf/2012/paper/view/257|work=Film-Philosophy Conference|last=Bell |first=Emma |access-date=31 January 2014|year=2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130203020215/http://www.film-philosophy.com/conference/index.php/conf/2012/paper/view/257|archive-date=3 February 2013|url-status=live}} Nolan's preoccupation with recursive narratives and images first appear in his 1997 short film, Doodlebug, and can be seen in many of his features.Joy, Stuart (2020) Some examples include the infinity mirrors created by Ariadne in Inception, and Memento{{'}}s poster design, inspired by the Droste effect, in which a picture appears within itself. His films often explore mathematically inspired ideas such as the Möbius strip, impossible objects, visual paradoxes and tessellations.{{cite web|title=Interstellar: The Most Nolan-y Christopher Nolan Movie Yet|url=https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a30627/interstellar-christopher-nolan/|last=Schager|first=Nick|website=esquire.com|access-date=9 June 2020|archive-date=8 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200608081135/https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a30627/interstellar-christopher-nolan/|url-status=live}} He frequently uses these ideas as foundation for creating narrative form, such as the palindrome structure of Tenet.{{cite web|title=Christopher Nolan's Five Unexpected Inspirations for "Interstellar"|url=http://moveablefest.com/christopher-nolan-interstellar-inspirations/|last=Saito|first=Stephen|website=moveablefest.com|access-date=24 August 2020|archive-date=5 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191205004009/http://moveablefest.com/christopher-nolan-interstellar-inspirations/|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2020/08/30/tenet-inspired-palindromes-memes-ancient-world/|title=How Tenet was inspired by palindromes, the memes of the ancient world|last=Leith|first=Sam|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|access-date=14 September 2020|archive-date=1 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200901095810/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2020/08/30/tenet-inspired-palindromes-memes-ancient-world/|url-status=live}} Notable examples of "mathematical beauty" in his work include the Penrose stairs in Inception,{{Cite magazine|last=Harshbarger|first=Eric|date=2010-08-19|title=The Never-Ending Stories: Inception's Penrose Staircase|magazine=Wired|url=https://www.wired.com/2010/08/the-never-ending-stories-inceptions-penrose-staircase/|access-date=2020-06-05|issn=1059-1028|archive-date=22 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151022043641/http://www.wired.com/2010/08/the-never-ending-stories-inceptions-penrose-staircase|url-status=live}} and the tesseract in Interstellar, "a three-dimensional representation of our four-dimensional reality (three physical dimensions plus time) inside the five-dimensional (four dimensions plus time) hyperspace".{{cite web|title=Gargantua, the Tesseract, and Existential Meanings in Interstellar|url=https://medium.com/explosion-of-awareness/gargantua-and-the-tesseract-existential-meanings-in-interstellar-74a5c8d6b637|last=Vacker|first=Barry|website=medium.com|access-date=9 June 2020|archive-date=9 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200609103258/https://medium.com/explosion-of-awareness/gargantua-and-the-tesseract-existential-meanings-in-interstellar-74a5c8d6b637|url-status=live}} The logo for Nolan's production company, Syncopy, is a centreless maze.

File:Memento Timeline.png

Nolan sometimes uses editing as a way to represent the characters' psychological states, merging their subjectivity with that of the audience.{{cite web|url=http://narrativeinart.wordpress.com/nolan|title=Nolan and Narrative|work=Narrative in Art|access-date=1 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131001193505/http://narrativeinart.wordpress.com/nolan/|archive-date=1 October 2013|url-status=live}} For example, in Memento the fragmented sequential order of scenes is to put the audience into a similar experience of Leonard's defective ability to create new long-term memories. In The Prestige, the series of magic tricks and themes of duality and deception mirror the structural narrative of the film. His writing style incorporates a number of storytelling techniques such as flashbacks, shifting points of view, and unreliable narrators. Scenes are often interrupted by the unconventional editing style of cutting away quickly from the money shot (or nearly cutting off characters' dialogue) and crosscutting several scenes of parallel action to build to a climax.{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/christopher-nolan-1798208223|title=Interview: Christopher Nolan|last=Tobias |first=Scott |website=The A.V. Club |access-date=12 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131018024630/http://www.avclub.com/articles/christopher-nolan,13769/|archive-date=18 October 2013|url-status=live}}

Embedded narratives and crosscutting between different time frames is a major component of Nolan's auteurship.Mooney, p. 11. Following contains four timelines and intercuts three; Memento intercuts two timelines, with one moving backward; The Prestige contains four timelines and intercuts three; Inception intercuts four timelines, all of them framed by a fifth.{{cite web|title=Inception; or, Dream a Little Dream within a Dream with Me |last=Bordwell |first=David |url=http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/2010/08/12/revisiting-inception/|work=Observations on film art|access-date=29 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180929084828/http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/2010/08/12/revisiting-inception/|archive-date=29 September 2018|url-status=live}} In Dunkirk, Nolan structured three different timelines to emulate a Shepard tone in such a way that it "provides a continual feeling of intensity". Noted film theorist and historian David Bordwell wrote, "For Nolan, I think, form has centrally to do with the sorts of juxtapositions you can create by crosscutting. You could say he treats crosscutting the way Ophüls treats tracking shots or Dreyer treats stark decor: an initial commitment to a creative choice, which in turn shapes the handling of story, staging, performance and other factors." Bordwell further added, "It's rare to find any mainstream director so relentlessly focused on exploring a particular batch of storytelling techniques{{nbsp}}... Nolan zeroes in, from film to film, on a few narrative devices, finding new possibilities in what most directors handle routinely. He seems to me a very thoughtful, almost theoretical director in his fascination with turning certain conventions this way and that, to reveal their unexpected possibilities."{{cite web|title=Dunkirk Part 2: The art film as event movie|last=Bordwell |first=David |url=http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/2017/08/09/dunkirk-part-2-the-art-film-as-event-movie/|work=Observations on film art|access-date=10 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170810170522/http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/2017/08/09/dunkirk-part-2-the-art-film-as-event-movie/|archive-date=10 August 2017|url-status=live}} The director has also stressed the importance of establishing a clear point of view in his films, and makes frequent use of "the shot that walks into a room behind a character, because{{nbsp}}... that takes [the viewer] inside the way that the character enters". On narrative perspective, Nolan has said, "You don't want to be hanging above the maze watching the characters make the wrong choices because it's frustrating. You actually want to be in the maze with them, making the turns at their side."{{cite news|url=https://articles.latimes.com/2010/apr/04/entertainment/la-ca-inception4-2010apr04/3|title='Inception' breaks into dreams|last=Boucher |first=Geoff| newspaper=Los Angeles Times|access-date=4 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171011221038/http://articles.latimes.com/2010/apr/04/entertainment/la-ca-inception4-2010apr04/3|archive-date=11 October 2017|url-status=dead}}

File:Hans Zimmer 2010.jpg to compose music for his productions.]]

In collaboration with composer David Julyan, Nolan's films feature slow and atmospheric scores with minimalistic expressions and ambient textures. In the mid-2000s, starting with Batman Begins (2005), Nolan began working with Hans Zimmer, who is known for integrating electronic music with traditional orchestral arrangements. With Zimmer, the soundscape in Nolan's films evolved into becoming increasingly more exuberant, kinetic and experimental.{{cite web |url=http://www.classicalmpr.org/story/2015/05/05/christopher-nolan-music |title=The music of Christopher Nolan: From atmospheric to aggressive |last=Tiedemann |first=Garrett |work=Classical MPR |date=5 May 2015 |access-date=7 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818164204/http://www.classicalmpr.org/story/2015/05/05/christopher-nolan-music |archive-date=18 August 2016 |url-status=live}} An example of this is the main theme from Inception (2010), which is derived from a slowed down version of Édith Piaf's song "Non, je ne regrette rien" (1960).{{cite web |title=Christopher Nolan explains the 'audio illusion' that created the unique music in 'Dunkirk' |last=Guerrasio |first=Jason |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/dunkirk-music-christopher-nolan-hans-zimmer-2017-7 |work=Business Insider |date=24 July 2017 |access-date=10 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170811011724/https://www.businessinsider.com/dunkirk-music-christopher-nolan-hans-zimmer-2017-7 |archive-date=11 August 2017 |url-status=live}} For Interstellar (2014), Zimmer and Nolan wanted to move in a new direction: "The textures, the music, and the sounds, and the thing we sort of created has sort of seeped into other people's movies a bit, so it's time to reinvent."{{cite web |url=https://collider.com/interstellar-score-hans-zimmer-dark-knight-trilogy/ |title=Berlin: Hans Zimmer Talks Christopher Nolan's INTERSTELLAR and the Influence of the DARK KNIGHT Trilogy Score on Blockbuster Filmmaking |last=Chitwood |first=Adam |publisher=Collider |date=14 October 2013 |access-date=14 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140214092028/https://collider.com/interstellar-score-hans-zimmer-dark-knight-trilogy/ |archive-date=14 February 2014 |url-status=live}} The score for Dunkirk (2017) was written to accommodate the auditory illusion of a Shepard tone. It was also based on a recording of Nolan's own pocket watch, which he sent to Zimmer to be synthesised. Ludwig Göransson, the composer for Tenet (2020), researched retrograde music to generate tunes that would sound the same forward and backward. Part of the soundscape for the villainous character in Tenet was based on Nolan breathing through a microphone, and later manipulated and turned into uncomfortable, raspy sounds by Göransson.{{cite web |url=https://news.yahoo.com/ludwig-goransson-christopher-nolan-tenet-score-160046527.html |title=Ludwig Göransson reveals Christopher Nolan's heavy breathing is part of 'Tenet' score |last=Beasley |first=Tom |publisher=Yahoo! |date=21 August 2020 |access-date=2 September 2020 }} He called working with the director an "eye-opening experience", saying: "I know from watching his films how savvy he is with music, how much he understands it, but I didn't fully know that he could speak about it almost like a trained musician."{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2020/08/the-mandalorian-composer-ludwig-goransson-tenet-emmys-disney-plus-interview-news-1203007648/ |title=Composer Ludwig Göransson On Recreating John Williams Magic For 'The Mandalorian,' Finishing 'Tenet' In Quarantine & Takeaways From Working With Christopher Nolan |last=Grobar |first=Matt |work=Deadline Hollywood |date=11 August 2020 |access-date=12 August 2020 |archive-date=18 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200818142453/https://deadline.com/2020/08/the-mandalorian-composer-ludwig-goransson-tenet-emmys-disney-plus-interview-news-1203007648/ |url-status=live}}

Responding to criticism over his experimental sound mix for Interstellar, Nolan remarked: "I've always loved films that approach sound in an impressionistic way and that is an unusual approach for a mainstream blockbuster ... I don't agree with the idea that you can only achieve clarity through dialogue. Clarity of story, clarity of emotions — I try to achieve that in a very layered way using all the different things at my disposal — picture and sound."{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/nov/17/interstellar-sound-christopher-nolan |title=Interstellar's sound 'right for an experimental film', says Nolan |last=Child |first=Benwork |work=The Guardian |date=17 November 2014 |access-date=22 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141117151023/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/nov/17/interstellar-sound-christopher-nolan |archive-date=17 November 2014 |url-status=live}} The mix for Tenet received similar attention, with some deeming it "infuriating", while others found it "inspiring". Peter Albrechtsen, a sound designer who worked on Dunkirk, commented that Nolan rarely uses ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement), so the dialogue in his films are mostly based on production sound. He also noted that the way Nolan uses sound is "very visceral ... It is a physical experience. It's a very intense sonic experience, and I can see why, for some, that's quite overwhelming."{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2020/artisans/news/christopher-nolan-tenet-sound-problems-audio-mix-1234755898/ |title=Christopher Nolan's Use of Sound on 'Tenet' Infuriates Some, Inspires Others |last=Barraclough |first=Leo |work=Variety |date=2 September 2020 |access-date=2 September 2020 |archive-date=2 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200902135453/https://variety.com/2020/artisans/news/christopher-nolan-tenet-sound-problems-audio-mix-1234755898/ |url-status=live}}

Nolan's work explores existential, ethical, and epistemological themes such as subjective experience, distortion of memory, human morality, the nature of time, causality, and construction of personal identity.{{cite web|url=http://widescreenjournal.org/index.php/journal/article/viewFile/96/146|title=Identity Construction and Ambiguity in Christopher Nolan's Films|last=Parks|first=Erin Hill|date=June 2011|work=Widescreenjournal|access-date=18 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425051550/http://widescreenjournal.org/index.php/journal/article/viewFile/96/146|archive-date=25 April 2012|url-status=dead}}Eberl, Dunn (2017), p. 211. On subjective point of view, Nolan said: "I'm fascinated by our subjective perception of reality, that we are all stuck in a very singular point of view, a singular perspective on what we all agree to be an objective reality, and movies are one of the ways in which we try to see things from the same point of view".{{cite web|url=http://theotherjournal.com/2012/04/17/bleakness-and-richness-christopher-nolan-on-human-nature|title=Bleakness and Richness: Christopher Nolan on Human Nature|last=Wilford |first=Lauren |work=The Other Journal|access-date=26 December 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130102205641/http://theotherjournal.com/2012/04/17/bleakness-and-richness-christopher-nolan-on-human-nature/|archive-date=2 January 2013|url-status=live}} His films contain a notable degree of ambiguity and often examine the similarities between filmmaking and architecture. The director avoids divulging the ambiguities of his work so that audiences can come up with their own interpretations.{{cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2011/02/guillermo-del-toro-christopher-nolan-talk-memento-remaining-strange-120402/|title=Guillermo del Toro & Christopher Nolan Talk 'Memento' & "Remaining Strange"|last=Zak|first=Leah|publisher=IndieWire|access-date=7 June 2020|archive-date=25 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925095425/https://www.indiewire.com/2011/02/guillermo-del-toro-christopher-nolan-talk-memento-remaining-strange-120402/|url-status=live}}

{{quote box|align=left|width=246px|quote=He has completed eleven features, [...] all ticking the boxes of studio entertainment, yet indelibly marked with the kind of personal themes and obsessions that are more traditionally the preserve of the art house: the passage of time, the failures of memory, our quirks of denial and deflection, the intimate clockwork of our interior lives, set against landscapes in which the fault lines of late industrialism meet the fissure points and paradoxes of the information age.|source= —Tom Shone on Nolan being an auteur in Hollywood.Shone, p. 339.}}

Film critic Tom Shone described Nolan's oeuvre as "epistemological thrillers whose protagonists, gripped by the desire for definitive answers, must negotiate mazy environments in which the truth is always beyond their reach."{{cite journal|last=Shone|first=Tom|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/nov/04/-sp-christopher-nolan-interstellar-rebooted-blockbuster|title=Christopher Nolan: the man who rebooted the blockbuster|journal=The Guardian|date=4 November 2014|access-date=24 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150122014558/http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/nov/04/-sp-christopher-nolan-interstellar-rebooted-blockbuster|archive-date=22 January 2015|url-status=live}} In an essay titled "The rational wonders of Christopher Nolan", film critic Mike D'Angelo argues that the filmmaker is a materialist dedicated to exploring the wonders of the natural world. "Underlying nearly every film he's ever made, no matter how fanciful, is his conviction that the universe can be explained entirely by physical processes."{{cite web|url=http://thedissolve.com/features/exposition/820-the-rational-wonders-of-christopher-nolan/|title=The rational wonders of Christopher Nolan|last=D'Angelo | first=Mike | work=The Dissolve|access-date=11 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304083547/http://thedissolve.com/features/exposition/820-the-rational-wonders-of-christopher-nolan/|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=live}} In his book, Out of Time: Desire in Atemporal Cinema, author and film theorist Todd McGowan claims that many of Nolan's films break from linear chronology in order to emphasize the repetition of "the psychoanalytic drive".{{cite web|url=https://uminnpressblog.com/2011/03/23/todd-mcgowan-the-timeless-christopher-nolan/|title=Todd McGowan: The Timeless Christopher Nolan|access-date=15 September 2020}} He writes, "the future does not provide the promise of desire's realization but rather a repeated failure to attain its object. By scrambling chronology, atemporal films make evident this failure for the spectator and thus encourage the spectator to embrace the repetition of the drive rather than put their faith in a different future." In 2020, Richard Newby of The Hollywood Reporter wrote that Nolan's concept of "balancing scales" has become less focused on the individual and "more innately aware of the communal and global." He noted that the filmmaker is concerned with the notions of legacy and justice, as well as "the preservation of the future, ensuring that there is one for the next generations, even if that means sacrifice in the here and now."{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/tenet-and-the-past-and-future-of-christopher-nolan|last=Newby|first=Richard|publisher=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=30 December 2020|title='Tenet' and the Past and Future of Christopher Nolan | Hollywood Reporter|archive-date=30 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201230122839/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/tenet-and-the-past-and-future-of-christopher-nolan|url-status=live}}

Nolan often grounds his stories in broader societal issues, such as corruption, surveillance, economic inequality and climate change,{{cite web |url=https://www.cbr.com/tenet-really-about-climate-change/ |title=Wait, Tenet Is Really About... |last=Sowa |first=Alexander |website=cbr.com |access-date=20 September 2020 |archive-date=16 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200916221424/https://www.cbr.com/tenet-really-about-climate-change/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2012/07/27/the-dark-knight-rises-is-not-about-occupy-wall-street/#7e6e29a4a7bb |title='The Dark Knight Rises' Is Not About Occupy Wall Street |last=Kain |first=Erik |website=forbes.com |access-date=23 September 2020 |archive-date=10 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161210215037/http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2012/07/27/the-dark-knight-rises-is-not-about-occupy-wall-street/#7e6e29a4a7bb |url-status=live }} and his characters are usually emotionally disturbed, obsessive, and morally ambiguous, facing the fears and anxieties of loneliness, guilt, jealousy, and greed. By exploring "everyday neurosis{{snd}}our everyday sort of fears and hopes for ourselves" in a heightened reality, Nolan makes them more accessible to a universal audience.{{cite web|last=Ney|first=Jason|title=Dark Roots|url=http://filmnoirfoundation.org/noircitymag/Dark-Roots.pdf|newspaper=The Film Noir Foundation|date=Summer 2013|access-date=12 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203090726/http://filmnoirfoundation.org/noircitymag/Dark-Roots.pdf|archive-date=3 February 2014|url-status=live}} The protagonists of Nolan's films are often driven by philosophical beliefs, and their fate is ambiguous.{{cite web|url=http://whatculture.com/film/5-major-defining-tropes-of-christopher-nolans-films.php |title=5 Major Defining Tropes of Christopher Nolan's Films |last=Jacobs |first=Brandon|website=whatculture.com |access-date=8 October 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005213625/http://whatculture.com/film/5-major-defining-tropes-of-christopher-nolans-films.php |archive-date=5 October 2013 }} In some of his films, the protagonist and antagonist are mirror images of each other, a point which is made to the protagonist by the antagonist. Through the clashing of ideologies, Nolan highlights the ambivalent nature of truth. In his book, The Traumatic Screen: The Films of Christopher Nolan (2020), film scholar Stuart Joy builds on contemporary psychoanalytic film theory to consider "the function and presentation of trauma" across Nolan's work, arguing that the complexity, thematic consistency, and fragmentary nature of his films mimic the structural operation of trauma.{{cite web|url=https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/distributed/T/bo51665298.html|title=The Traumatic Screen: The Films of Christopher Nolan The University of Chicago Press|access-date=11 September 2020|archive-date=14 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201214173816/https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/distributed/T/bo51665298.html|url-status=live}} He writes that, "Nolan's films highlight cinema's ability to probe the nature of human consciousness while commenting on the relationship between spectator and screen."

The director uses his real-life experiences as an inspiration in his work, saying, "From a creative point of view, the process of growing up, the process of maturing, getting married, having kids, I've tried to use that in my work. I've tried to just always be driven by the things that were important to me."{{cite web|url=http://flavorwire.com/515239/theres-no-prescription-christopher-nolan-and-bennett-miller-on-influences-fatherhood-and-the-ending-of-inception|title="There's No Prescription": Christopher Nolan and Bennett Miller on Influences, Fatherhood, and the Ending of 'Inception'|last=Bailey |first= Jason|work=Flavorwire|access-date=21 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150422123517/http://flavorwire.com/515239/theres-no-prescription-christopher-nolan-and-bennett-miller-on-influences-fatherhood-and-the-ending-of-inception|archive-date=22 April 2015|url-status=live}} Writing for The Playlist, Oliver Lyttelton singled out parenthood as a signature theme in Nolan's work, adding: "[T]he director avoids talking about his private life, but fatherhood has been at the emotional heart of almost everything he's made, at least from Batman Begins onwards (previous films, it should be said, pre-dated the birth of his kids)."{{cite web|url=http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/how-parenthood-is-at-the-heart-of-interstellar-other-christopher-nolan-films-20141111?page=1|title=How Parenthood Is At The Heart Of 'Interstellar' & Other Christopher Nolan Films|last=Lyttelton |first=Oliver |work=The Playlist|access-date=28 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141204194708/http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/how-parenthood-is-at-the-heart-of-interstellar-other-christopher-nolan-films-20141111?page=1|archive-date=4 December 2014|url-status=dead}}

File:James Clerk Maxwell.png is a recurring theme in Nolan's work. Many ideas in Tenet were first explored in a thought experiment by James Clerk Maxwell in 1867, in which he suggested how the second law of thermodynamics might hypothetically be violated.]]

Nolan's most prominent recurring theme is the concept of time.{{cite web|title='Tenet' and Christopher Nolan's Meditations on Time|last=Newby|first=Richard|work=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=18 June 2020|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/how-tenet-builds-christopher-nolans-obsession-time-1295654|archive-date=18 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200618215126/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/how-tenet-builds-christopher-nolans-obsession-time-1295654|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://observer.com/2020/08/christopher-nolan-time-the-clock-keeper/|title=Clocking the Clock Keeper Christopher Nolan, From 'Following' to 'Tenet'|publisher=The Observer|access-date=19 September 2020|archive-date=26 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200826062517/https://observer.com/2020/08/christopher-nolan-time-the-clock-keeper/|url-status=live}} The director has identified that all of his films "have had some odd relationship with time, usually in just a structural sense, in that I have always been interested in the subjectivity of time."{{cite web|url=http://ukscreen.com/articles/interviews/christopher-nolan-i-want-the-audience-to-feel-my-movies-not-understand-them-4567/|title=Christopher Nolan: I want the audience to feel my movies not understand them|last=Sam Asi|first=Husam|publisher=UKScreen|access-date=27 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150222211129/http://ukscreen.com/articles/interviews/christopher-nolan-i-want-the-audience-to-feel-my-movies-not-understand-them-4567/|archive-date=22 February 2015|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://www.scpr.org/programs/the-frame/2014/11/10/40245/how-interstellar-is-christopher-nolans-family-film/|title=Christopher Nolan: 'Interstellar' is 'my most aggressive attempt' at a family blockbuster|last=Lanz |first=Michelle |publisher=Southern California Public Radio|access-date=18 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150218154616/http://www.scpr.org/programs/the-frame/2014/11/10/40245/how-interstellar-is-christopher-nolans-family-film/|archive-date=18 February 2015|url-status=live}} Writing for Film Philosophy, Emma Bell commented that the characters in Inception "escape time by being stricken in it{{snd}}building the delusion that time has not passed, and is not passing now. They feel time grievously: willingly and knowingly destroying their experience by creating multiple simultaneous existences." In Interstellar, Nolan explored the laws of physics as represented in Einstein's theory of general relativity, identifying time as the film's antagonist.{{cite web|url=http://ukscreen.com/articles/interviews/christopher-nolan-i-want-the-audience-to-feel-my-movies-not-understand-them-4567/|title=Christopher Nolan: I want the audience to feel my movies not understand them|last=Asi|first=Husam Sam|publisher=UkScreen|access-date=18 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150222211129/http://ukscreen.com/articles/interviews/christopher-nolan-i-want-the-audience-to-feel-my-movies-not-understand-them-4567/|archive-date=22 February 2015|url-status=dead}} With Tenet, Nolan used entropy and the second law of thermodynamics to explore temporal paradoxes such as the grandfather paradox and the causal loop, as well as ideas about retrocausality, fatalism, infinity, the one-electron universe, and Maxwell's demon.{{cite web|url=https://signalhorizon.com/tenet-explained-inception-infinity-entropy-and-fatalism/|title=Tenet Explained- Inception, Infinity, Entropy, and Fatalism|last=Palmer|first=Tracy|publisher=Signal Horizon|access-date=19 September 2020|archive-date=14 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201214173816/https://signalhorizon.com/tenet-explained-inception-infinity-entropy-and-fatalism/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://observer.com/2020/09/tenet-time-inversion-meaning-christopher-nolan/|title=An Idiot's Guide to "Time Inversion" in 'Tenet'|last=Motamayor|first=Rafael|publisher=The Observer|access-date=19 September 2020|archive-date=25 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925095449/https://observer.com/2020/09/tenet-time-inversion-meaning-christopher-nolan/|url-status=live}} Siddhant Adlakha of IGN called Tenet a culmination of the director's career and his obsession with "time as a moving fabric imprinted on film."{{cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/christopher-nolans-tenet-is-the-culmination-of-a-22-year-obsession-with-time|title=Christopher Nolan's Tenet Is the Culmination of a 22-Year Obsession With Time|last=Adlakha|first=Siddhant|publisher=IGN|access-date=25 May 2021|archive-date=10 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510171602/https://www.ign.com/articles/christopher-nolans-tenet-is-the-culmination-of-a-22-year-obsession-with-time|url-status=live}} Brandon Katz of The Observer wrote that "time isn't just a narrative gimmick in Nolan's filmography nor are his settings mere window dressing for the action. Instead, they are integral elements of the story that interact with both the characters and the viewers to elicit an emotional and psychological response both consciously and subconsciously."{{cite web|url=https://observer.com/2020/08/tenet-exploring-psychology-of-time-christopher-nolan-movies/|title=The Psychology That Crushes Christopher Nolan's Characters Over Time|last=Katz|first=Brandon|publisher=The Observer|access-date=25 August 2020|archive-date=26 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200826062516/https://observer.com/2020/08/tenet-exploring-psychology-of-time-christopher-nolan-movies/|url-status=live}}

Ontological questions concerning the nature of existence and reality also play a major role in his body of work. Alec Price and M.{{nbsp}}Dawson of Left Field Cinema noted that the existential crisis of conflicted male figures "struggling with the slippery nature of identity" is a prevalent theme in Nolan's films. The actual (or objective) world is of less importance than the way in which we absorb and remember, and it is this created (or subjective) reality that truly matters. "It is solely in the mind and the heart where any sense of permanency or equilibrium can ever be found." According to Todd McGowan, these "created realities" also reveal the ethical and political importance of creating fictions and falsehoods. Nolan's films typically deceive spectators about the events that occur and the motivations of the characters, but they do not abandon the idea of truth altogether. Instead, "They show us how truth must emerge out of the lie if it is not to lead us entirely astray." McGowan further argues that Nolan is the first filmmaker to devote himself entirely to the illusion of the medium, calling him a Hegelian filmmaker.{{cite web|url=http://utpress.utexas.edu/index.php/books/mcgfic|title=The Fictional Christopher Nolan|last=McGowan |first=Todd |publisher=University of Texas Press|access-date=5 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005200914/http://utpress.utexas.edu/index.php/books/mcgfic|archive-date=5 October 2013|url-status=live}}

In Inception, Nolan was inspired by lucid dreaming and dream incubation.{{cite web|date=16 July 2010|title=Inside 'Inception': Could Christopher Nolan's Dream World Exist in Real Life? Dream Experts Say 'Inception's' Conception of the Subconscious Isn't Far From Science|work=ABC News|last=Marikar |first=Sheilapublisher=The Walt Disney Company|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/inside-inception-christopher-nolans-dream-world-exist-real/story?id=11174201|access-date=12 September 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120629/http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/inside-inception-christopher-nolans-dream-world-exist-real/story?id=11174201|archive-date=29 June 2012|url-status=live}} The film's characters try to embed an idea in a person's mind without their knowledge, similar to Freud's theory that the unconscious influences one's behaviour without one's knowledge.{{cite web|url=http://www.studymode.com/essays/Freud-s-Theories-Applied-In-Inception-990338.html|title=Freud's Theories Applied in Inception|access-date=29 July 2013|archive-date=14 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201214173839/https://www.studymode.com/essays/Freud's-Theories-Applied-In-Inception-990338.html|url-status=live}} Most of the film takes place in interconnected dream worlds; this creates a framework where actions in the real (or dream) worlds ripple across others. The dream is always in a state of emergence, shifting across levels as the characters navigate it.{{Cite web |url=http://sensesofcinema.com/2010/feature-articles/desiring-machines-in-american-cinema-what-inception-tells-us-about-our-experience-of-reality-and-film/ |title=Desiring-Machines in American Cinema: What Inception tells us about our experience of reality and film, Issue 56 |last=Paul |first=Ian Alan |date=October 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110824032553/http://www.sensesofcinema.com/2010/feature-articles/desiring-machines-in-american-cinema-what-inception-tells-us-about-our-experience-of-reality-and-film/ |archive-date=24 August 2011 |access-date=24 August 2011}} Like Memento and The Prestige, Inception uses metaleptic storytelling devices and follows Nolan's "auteur affinity of converting, moreover, converging narrative and cognitive values into and within a fictional story".{{cite web|url=http://www.acta.sapientia.ro/acta-film/C5/film5-3.pdf|title=Narrative Metalepsis as Diegetic Concept in Christopher Nolan's Inception (2010)|last=Kiss |first=Miklós|publisher=University of Groningen|access-date=21 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131221013848/http://www.acta.sapientia.ro/acta-film/C5/film5-3.pdf|archive-date=21 December 2013|url-status=live}}

Nolan's work has often been the subject of extensive social and political commentary.{{cite news|last=Wiseman|first=Andreas|title=Christopher Nolan: why 'Dunkirk' is anything but a 'Brexit movie'|url=https://www.screendaily.com/news/christopher-nolan-why-dunkirk-is-anything-but-a-brexit-movie/5124612.article|newspaper=Screendaily|date=30 November 2018|access-date=12 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330173225/https://www.screendaily.com/news/christopher-nolan-why-dunkirk-is-anything-but-a-brexit-movie/5124612.article|archive-date=30 March 2019|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last=Alexander|first=Bryan|title=Occupy movement is alive and well on big screen|url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/story/2012-08-16/anti-wall-street-films-occupy-movement/57079746/1|newspaper=USA Today|date=17 August 2012|access-date=12 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120820233002/http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/story/2012-08-16/anti-wall-street-films-occupy-movement/57079746/1|archive-date=20 August 2012|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Bedard|first=Paul|url=http://washingtonexaminer.com/romneys-new-foe-batmans-bane/article/2502274|title=Romney's new foe: Batman's 'Bane'|work=The Washington Examiner|date=16 July 2012|access-date=8 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612142319/https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/romneys-new-foe-batmans-bane/article/2502274|archive-date=12 June 2018|url-status=live}} Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek said Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises shows that Hollywood blockbusters can be "precise indicators of the ideological predicaments of our societies".{{cite web|last=Žižek|first=Slavoj|url=https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/culture/2012/08/slavoj-%C5%BEi%C5%BEek-politics-batman|title=Slavoj Žižek: The politics of Batman|work=New Statesman|date=23 August 2012|access-date=10 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612140003/https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/culture/2012/08/slavoj-%C5%BEi%C5%BEek-politics-batman|archive-date=12 June 2018|url-status=live}} The Dark Knight trilogy explored themes of chaos, terrorism, escalation of violence, financial manipulation, utilitarianism, mass surveillance, and class conflict.{{cite web|url=https://www.academia.edu/3483106|title=The Dark Knight and the Post-9/11 Death Wish|last=Chen|first=Vivienne|date=7 May 2013|work=Academia.edu|access-date=13 September 2013|archive-date=14 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201214173821/https://www.academia.edu/3483106/The_Dark_Knight_and_the_Post_9_11_Death_Wish|url-status=live}} Batman's arc of rising (philosophically) from a man to "more than just a man" is similar to the Nietzschian Übermensch.{{cite web|url=http://www.patheos.com/blogs/camelswithhammers/2012/07/justice-order-and-chaos-the-dialectical-tensions-in-batman-begins-and-the-dark-knight|title=Justice, Order, and Chaos: The Dialectical Tensions In Batman Begins and The Dark Knight|last=Finke |first=Daniel |publisher=Patheos|date=20 July 2012|access-date=16 August 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005120104/http://www.patheos.com/blogs/camelswithhammers/2012/07/justice-order-and-chaos-the-dialectical-tensions-in-batman-begins-and-the-dark-knight/|archive-date=5 October 2013|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/10627-the-ubermensch-rises-justice-truth-and-necessary-evil-in-the-dark-knight-rises|title=The Ubermensch Rises: Justice, Truth and Necessary Evil in "The Dark Knight Rises"|last=Maher |first=Stephen |publisher=Truth-out.org|date=1 August 2012|access-date=16 August 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004225525/http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/10627-the-ubermensch-rises-justice-truth-and-necessary-evil-in-the-dark-knight-rises|archive-date=4 October 2013|url-status=live}} The films also explore ideas akin to Jean-Jacques Rousseau's philosophical glorification of a simpler, more primitive way of life and the concept of general will.{{cite web|url=http://www.thecommentator.com/article/1481/an_unlikely_subliminal_message_the_dark_knight_rises|title=An unlikely subliminal message: The Dark Knight Rises|last=Schrader |first=Emily |publisher=The Commentator |access-date=6 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130902040746/http://www.thecommentator.com/article/1481/an_unlikely_subliminal_message_the_dark_knight_rises|archive-date=2 September 2013|url-status=live}} Theorist Douglas Kellner saw the series as a critical allegory about the Bush–Cheney era, highlighting the theme of government corruption and failure to solve social problems, as well as the cinematic spectacle and iconography related to 9/11.Kellner, Douglas M (2009), p. 11–12.

In 2018, the conservative magazine The American Spectator published an article, "In Search of Christopher Nolan", writing, "All of Nolan's films, while maintaining a strong patriotism, plunges below the surface into the murky waters of philosophy, probing some of the deepest human struggles in our unfortunately postmodern age."{{cite web|url=https://spectator.org/in-search-of-christopher-nolan/|title=In Search of Christopher Nolan|last=Russell|first=Jesse|date=8 June 2018|work=The American Spectator|access-date=8 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612143017/https://spectator.org/in-search-of-christopher-nolan/|archive-date=12 June 2018|url-status=live}} The article further argues that Dunkirk echoes the work of absurdist playwrights like Samuel Beckett and the bleak, existential novels of Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre. Nolan has said that none of his films are intended to be political.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/christopher-nolan-dark-knight-rises-isn-t-political-20120720|title=Christopher Nolan: 'Dark Knight Rises' Isn't Political|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=20 July 2012|access-date=10 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150908174807/http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/christopher-nolan-dark-knight-rises-isn-t-political-20120720|archive-date=8 September 2015|url-status=live}}

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| align = right

| width = 30%

| quote = Films are subjective – what you like, what you don't like, but the thing for me that is absolutely unifying is the idea that every time I go to the cinema and pay my money and sit down and watch a film go up onscreen, I want to feel that the people who made that film think it's the best movie in the world, that they poured everything into it and they really love it. Whether or not I agree with what they've done, I want that effort there – I want that sincerity. And when you don't feel it, that's the only time I feel like I'm wasting my time at the movies.{{cite web|title=With Inception, Can Christopher Nolan Save the Summer?|url=http://www.villagevoice.com/2010-07-13/film/with-inception-can-christopher-nolan-save-the-summer/|work=The Village Voice |last=Foundas |first=Scott |access-date=1 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140103174556/http://www.villagevoice.com/2010-07-13/film/with-inception-can-christopher-nolan-save-the-summer/|archive-date=3 January 2014|url-status=live}}

| source = —Nolan, on sincerity and ambition in filmmaking.

}}

Nolan has described his filmmaking process as a combination of intuition and geometry. "I draw a lot of diagrams when I work. I do a lot of thinking about etchings by Escher, for instance. That frees me, finding a mathematical model or a scientific model. I'll draw pictures and diagrams that illustrate the movement or the rhythm that I'm after."{{cite web|last=Cox|first=Gordon|title=Christopher Nolan Says His Filmmaking Process a 'Combination of Intuition and Geometry'|url=https://variety.com/2015/film/news/christopher-nolan-tribeca-film-festival-1201476250/|work=Variety|access-date=21 April 2015|date=20 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150421233407/http://variety.com/2015/film/news/christopher-nolan-tribeca-film-festival-1201476250/|archive-date=21 April 2015|url-status=live}} Caltech physicist and Nobel Laureate Kip Thorne compared Nolan's intuition to forward-thinking scientists, saying the filmmaker intuitively grasped things non-scientists rarely understand.{{cite magazine|title=Watch Christopher Nolan and Kip Thorne Discuss the Physics of Interstellar|url=https://time.com/3602525/christopher-nolan-physics-interstellar-kip-thorne/|last=Kluger |first=Jeffrey |magazine=Time|access-date=15 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160214175028/http://time.com/3602525/christopher-nolan-physics-interstellar-kip-thorne/|archive-date=14 February 2016|url-status=live}} Regarding his own decision-making of whether to start work on a project, Nolan has proclaimed a belief in the sincerity of his passion for something within the particular project in question as a basis for his selective thought.{{cite news |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtH6kiPbMBw |title=Christopher Nolan: The full interview – Newsnight – YouTube |publisher=BBC Newsnight |date=16 October 2015 |access-date=10 October 2016 |at=Time:19:40 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221024930/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtH6kiPbMBw |archive-date=21 December 2016 |url-status=live }}

When working with actors, Nolan prefers giving them the time to perform as many takes of a given scene as they want. "I've come to realize that the lighting and camera setups, the technical things, take all the time, but running another take generally only adds a couple of minutes{{nbsp}}... If an actor tells me they can do something more with a scene, I give them the chance, because it's not going to cost that much time. It can't all be about the technical issues." He prohibits the use of phones on set,{{cite web | url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/list-directors-interviewed-sam-mendes/ | title=A-List Directors, interviewed by Sam Mendes | work=Empire | date=21 October 2015 | access-date=29 January 2015 | last=Mendes | first=Sam | author-link=Sam Mendes | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151029225147/http://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/list-directors-interviewed-sam-mendes/ | archive-date=29 October 2015 | url-status=live }} and favours working in close coordination with his actors, avoiding the use of a video village.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/02/dunkirk-emma-thomas|title=Meet the Woman Behind Dunkirk|last=Keegan |first=Rebecca |magazine=Vanity Fair|access-date=12 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190827195437/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/02/dunkirk-emma-thomas|archive-date=27 August 2019|url-status=live}} Cillian Murphy said, "he creates this environment where it's just you and the actor or actors, there's Wally [Pfister], the camera man, and he stands beside the camera with like his little monitor but he's watching it in real time. And for him the performance is paramount. It's the connection between the actors. He allows room for spontaneity."{{cite web|url=https://collider.com/inception-cillian-murphy-interview-batman-3-at-swim-two-birds/|title=Exclusive: Cillian Murphy Interview Inception|last=Weintraub |first=Steve |website=Collider|access-date=12 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412112109/http://collider.com/inception-cillian-murphy-interview-batman-3-at-swim-two-birds/|archive-date=12 April 2019|url-status=live}} Gary Oldman praised the director for giving the actors space to "find things in the scene" and not just give direction for direction's sake.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.empireonline.com/interviews/interview.asp?IID=1055|title=Christopher Nolan: The Movies. The Memories. Part 4: Gary Oldman on Batman Begins|magazine=Empire|access-date=16 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131015184657/http://www.empireonline.com/interviews/interview.asp?IID=1055|archive-date=15 October 2013|url-status=live}} Kenneth Branagh also recognised Nolan's ability to provide a harmonious work environment, comparing him with Danny Boyle and Robert Altman: "These are not people who try to trick or cajole or hector people. They sort of strip away the chaos."{{cite magazine|url=https://deadline.com/2017/12/dunkirk-murder-on-the-orient-express-kenneth-branagh-interview-news-1202221477/|title='Dunkirk' & 'Orient Express' Star Kenneth Branagh On Poirot's Personality & Christopher Nolan's Passion Project|last=Grobar |first=Matt |magazine=Deadline|access-date=21 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180921190902/https://deadline.com/2017/12/dunkirk-murder-on-the-orient-express-kenneth-branagh-interview-news-1202221477/|archive-date=21 September 2018|url-status=live}}

Nolan chooses to minimise the amount of computer-generated imagery for special effects in his films, preferring to use practical effects whenever possible, and only using CGI to enhance elements which he has photographed in camera. For instance, his films Batman Begins, Inception, and Interstellar featured 620, 500, and 850 visual-effects shots, respectively, which is considered minor when compared with contemporary visual-effects epics, which may have upwards of 1,500 to 2,000 VFX shots.{{Cite magazine|last=Russell|first=Terrence|title=How Inception{{'}}s Astonishing Visuals Came to Life|magazine=Wired|date=20 July 2010|url=https://www.wired.com/underwire/2010/07/inception-visual-effects|access-date=5 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120913044009/http://www.wired.com/underwire/2010/07/inception-visual-effects|archive-date=13 September 2012|url-status=live}} Nolan explained:

I believe in an absolute difference between animation and photography. However sophisticated your computer-generated imagery is, if it's been created from no physical elements and you haven't shot anything, it's going to feel like animation. There are usually two different goals in a visual effects movie. One is to fool the audience into seeing something seamless, and that's how I try to use it. The other is to impress the audience with the amount of money spent on the spectacle of the visual effect, and that, I have no interest in.

Nolan's wife, Emma Thomas, has co-produced all of his films (including Memento, in which she is credited as an associate producer). He regularly works with his brother, Jonathan Nolan (creator of Person of Interest and Westworld), who describes their working relationship in the production notes for The Prestige: "I've always suspected that it has something to do with the fact that he's left-handed and I'm right-handed, because he's somehow able to look at my ideas and flip them around in a way that's just a little bit more twisted and interesting. It's great to be able to work with him like that".{{cite web|url=http://www.moviesonline.ca/movienews_10195.html |title=Interview with Jonathan Nolan |first=Sheila |last=Roberts |work=Movies Online |access-date=14 August 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129110639/http://www.moviesonline.ca/movienews_10195.html |archive-date=29 November 2014 }} When working on separate projects the brothers always consult each other.{{cite web|url=http://iris.theaureview.com/the-iris-interview-christopher-nolan-jonathan-nolan-and-emma-thomas-talk-about-working-on-interstellar/|title=The Iris Interview: Christopher Nolan, Jonathan Nolan and Emma Thomas talk about working on Interstellar|publisher=The Iris|date=8 April 2015|access-date=14 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304053812/http://iris.theaureview.com/the-iris-interview-christopher-nolan-jonathan-nolan-and-emma-thomas-talk-about-working-on-interstellar/|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=dead}}

{{quote box|align=left|width=246px|quote=As a director, I'm sort of a human lens through which everyone's efforts are focused. A big part of my job is making decisions about how all the great talent that I'm working with blends into a single consciousness|source= —Nolan on collaboration and leadership.Rabiger, Hurbis-Cherrier (2013), p. 18.}}

The director has worked with screenwriter David S. Goyer on all of his comic-book adaptations.Jesser, Pourroy (2012), pp. 33–51. Wally Pfister was the cinematographer for all of Nolan's films from Memento to The Dark Knight Rises.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.empireonline.com/interviews/interview.asp?IID=1053|title=Christopher Nolan: The Movies. The Memories. Part 2: Wally Pfister on Memento|year=2008|magazine=Empire|access-date=3 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130618154707/http://www.empireonline.com/interviews/interview.asp?IID=1053|archive-date=18 June 2013|url-status=live}} Embarking on his own career as a director, Pfister said: "The greatest lesson I learned from Chris Nolan is to keep my humility. He is an absolute gentleman on set and he is wonderful to everyone{{snd}}from the actors to the entire crew, he treats everyone with respect."{{cite news|url=https://www.thewrap.com/transcendence-director-wally-pfister-talks-examining-technologys-perils-promise/|title='Transcendence' Director Wally Pfister on 'Frustrating' Technology and What Chris Nolan Taught Him|last=Lang |first=Brent| year=2014|publisher=The Wrap|access-date=20 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160720204908/http://www.thewrap.com/transcendence-director-wally-pfister-talks-examining-technologys-perils-promise/|archive-date=20 July 2016|url-status=live}} With Interstellar Nolan began collaborating with cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema.{{cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2017/07/dunkirk-christopher-nolan-cinematography-hoyte-van-hoytema-1201851502/|title='Dunkirk': 6 Movies That Prepared Christopher Nolan's Go-To Cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema|last=Desowitz|first=Bill|work=Indiewire|date=7 July 2017|access-date=17 January 2020|archive-date=18 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200518213444/https://www.indiewire.com/2017/07/dunkirk-christopher-nolan-cinematography-hoyte-van-hoytema-1201851502/|url-status=live}}

Lee Smith has edited seven of Nolan's films, while Dody Dorn and Jennifer Lame have cut two.Jesser, Pourroy (2012), p. 253. David Julyan composed the music for Nolan's early work, while Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard provided the music for Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.Jesser, Pourroy (2012), pp. 254–57. Zimmer scored The Dark Knight Rises and worked with Nolan on many of his subsequent films.{{cite magazine|url=https://variety.com/2013/film/news/christopher-nolan-taps-hans-zimmer-for-interstellar-score-1200491649|title=Christopher Nolan Taps Hans Zimmer For Interstellar Score|last=McNary |first=Dave |magazine=Variety|date=3 June 2013|access-date=30 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140226175109/http://variety.com/2013/film/news/christopher-nolan-taps-hans-zimmer-for-interstellar-score-1200491649/|archive-date=26 February 2014|url-status=live}} Zimmer said his creative relationship with Nolan was highly collaborative, and that he considers Nolan a "co-creator" of the music.{{cite news|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2015/02/hans-zimmer-on-his-creative-marriage-to-chris-nolan-i-dont-think-the-world-understands-our-business-188867/|title=Hans Zimmer on His Creative Marriage to Chris Nolan: "I Don't Think the World Understands Our Business"|last=Lattanzio |first=Ryan |work=IndieWire|date=11 February 2015|access-date=26 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160812172113/http://www.indiewire.com/2015/02/hans-zimmer-on-his-creative-marriage-to-chris-nolan-i-dont-think-the-world-understands-our-business-188867/|archive-date=12 August 2016|url-status=live}} Since 2020's Tenet, Nolan has worked with Ludwig Göransson. The director has worked with sound designer Richard King and re-recording mixer Gary Rizzo since The Prestige.Jesser, Pourroy (2012), p. 261. Nolan has frequently collaborated with special-effects supervisor Chris Corbould,Jesser, Pourroy (2012), p. 223. stunt coordinator Tom StruthersJesser, Pourroy (2012), p. 242. first assistant director Nilo Otero,{{cite web|url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2bb30ac104|title=Nilo Otero|publisher=BFI|access-date=10 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160915131633/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2bb30ac104|archive-date=15 September 2016|url-status=dead}} and visual effects supervisor Paul Franklin.Jesser, Pourroy (2012), p. 286. Otero regards Nolan as a throwback to old-school Hollywood directors for his proficiency in all aspects of production instead of specializing.{{Cite web|last=Rapold|first=Nicolas|date=27 September 2020|title=The Technical Stars Who Help Pull Off a Christopher Nolan Narrative|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/27/movies/christopher-nolan-film-editing.html|access-date=6 November 2021|website=The New York Times|language=en-US}} Production designer Nathan Crowley has worked with him since Insomnia (except for Inception and Oppenheimer).Jesser, Pourroy (2012), p. 57. Nolan has called Crowley one of his closest and most inspiring creative collaborators.{{cite magazine|url=https://variety.com/2014/artisans/news/directors-their-troops-christopher-nolan-on-the-interstellar-team-1201379848/|title=Directors & Their Troops: Christopher Nolan on the 'Interstellar' Team|last=Gray |first=Tim |magazine=Variety|date=17 December 2014|access-date=18 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150717035103/https://variety.com/2014/artisans/news/directors-their-troops-christopher-nolan-on-the-interstellar-team-1201379848/|archive-date=17 July 2015|url-status=live}} Casting director John Papsidera has worked on all of Nolan's films, except Following and Insomnia.{{cite web|url=http://www.backstage.com/interview/dark-knight-rises-closes-out-christopher-nolans-batman-trilogy/|title='Dark Knight Rises' Closes Out Christopher Nolan's Batman Trilogy|last=Riley |first=Jenelle |publisher=Backstage|date=18 July 2012|access-date=8 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131214002838/http://www.backstage.com/interview/dark-knight-rises-closes-out-christopher-nolans-batman-trilogy/|archive-date=14 December 2013|url-status=live}}

Christian Bale, Kenneth Branagh, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Cillian Murphy, Tom Hardy and Josh Stewart have been frequent collaborators from the mid-2000s to the late 2010s, each appearing in upwards of 3 films.{{Cite web|url=http://thefilmexperience.net/blog/2021/1/16/familiar-faces-the-chris-nolan-players.html|title=Familiar Faces: The Chris Nolan Players - Blog - The Film Experience|website=thefilmexperience.net|language=en|access-date=June 24, 2021}} Caine is Nolan's most prolific collaborator, having appeared in eight of his films (including a cameo in Dunkirk); Nolan regards him as his "good luck charm".{{cite web|url=http://metronews.ca/features/the-dark-knight-rises/294971/michael-caine-differs-with-christopher-nolan-on-who-is-the-good-luck-charm |title=Michael Caine differs with Christopher Nolan on who is the 'good luck charm' |last=Ehrbar |first=Ned |publisher=MetroNews |date=12 July 2012 |access-date=9 March 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120717223633/http://metronews.ca/features/the-dark-knight-rises/294971/michael-caine-differs-with-christopher-nolan-on-who-is-the-good-luck-charm/ |archive-date=17 July 2012 }} In return, Caine has described Nolan as "one of cinema's greatest directors", comparing him favourably with the likes of David Lean, John Huston, and Joseph L. Mankiewicz.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/06/movies/awardsseason/michael-caine-and-christopher-nolan-and-oscar.html|title=Buddy-Buddy: Seasoned Actor and Young Director|newspaper=The New York Times|date=5 December 2012|access-date=16 March 2014|first=Melena|last=Ryzik|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131123164731/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/06/movies/awardsseason/michael-caine-and-christopher-nolan-and-oscar.html|archive-date=23 November 2013|url-status=live}}{{cite news |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/03/michael-caine-dark-knight-rises-oscars_n_2221042.html |title=Michael Caine On The Dark Knight Rises, Oscar Chances & Winning His First Academy Award |last=Rosen |first=Christopher |work=Huffington Post |date=3 December 2012 |access-date=16 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021183303/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/03/michael-caine-dark-knight-rises-oscars_n_2221042.html |archive-date=21 October 2013 |url-status=live }}{{cite web|url=http://uk.movies.yahoo.com/caine-invented-own-alfred-backstory-for-batman-083615507.html |title=Caine invented own Alfred backstory for Batman |last=Arnold |first=Ben |publisher=Yahoo! Movies |date=24 December 2012 |access-date=16 March 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004222220/http://uk.movies.yahoo.com/caine-invented-own-alfred-backstory-for-batman-083615507.html |archive-date=4 October 2013 }} Nolan is known for casting stars from the 1980s in his films, i.e. Rutger Hauer (Batman Begins), Eric Roberts (The Dark Knight), Tom Berenger (Inception), Matthew Modine (The Dark Knight Rises and Oppenheimer), Anthony Michael Hall (The Dark Knight), and John Lithgow (Interstellar).{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/matthew-modine-is-the-now-obligatory-80s-actor-in-the-d-1798225729|title=Matthew Modine is the now-obligatory '80s actor in The Dark Knight Rises|last=O'Neal |first=Sean |work=AV Club|date=23 May 2011|access-date=20 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927222410/http://www.avclub.com/articles/matthew-modine-is-the-nowobligatory-80s-actor-in-t,56492/|archive-date=27 September 2013|url-status=live}} Modine said of working with Nolan, "There are no chairs on a Nolan set, he gets out of his car and goes to the set. And he stands up until lunchtime. And then he stands up until they say 'Wrap'. He's fully engaged{{snd}}in every aspect of the film."{{cite magazine|url=http://insidemovies.ew.com/2012/07/20/dark-knight-rises-matthew-modine-on-christopher-nolan-steve-jobs-steve-jobs|title=Matthew Modine Rises: Private Joker on the Dark Knight, Steve Jobs, and a Batman/Iron Man steel cage match|last=Labrecque |first=Jeff |magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=20 July 2012|access-date=9 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120722191653/http://insidemovies.ew.com/2012/07/20/dark-knight-rises-matthew-modine-on-christopher-nolan-steve-jobs-steve-jobs/|archive-date=22 July 2012|url-status=live}}

File:Maurits Cornelis Escher.jpgThe filmmaker has often cited Dutch graphic artist M. C. Escher as a major influence on his own work. "I'm very inspired by the prints of M.{{nbsp}}C. Escher and the interesting connection-point or blurring of boundaries between art and science, and art and mathematics."{{cite web|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/11/10/christopher-nolan-uncut-on-interstellar-ben-affleck-s-batman-and-the-future-of-mankind.html|title=Christopher Nolan Uncut: On Interstellar, Ben Affleck's Batman, and the Future of Mankind|last=Stern |first=Marlow |website=The Daily Beast|date=11 September 2014|access-date=12 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170507135149/http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/11/10/christopher-nolan-uncut-on-interstellar-ben-affleck-s-batman-and-the-future-of-mankind.html|archive-date=7 May 2017|url-status=live}} Another source of inspiration is Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges. The director has called Memento a "strange cousin" to Funes the Memorious, and has said, "I think his writing naturally lends itself to a cinematic interpretation because it is all about efficiency and precision, the bare bones of an idea."{{cite web|url=http://movieline.com/2011/02/05/when-nolan-met-del-toro-10-highlights-from-their-memento-qa/|title=Chris Nolan and Guillermo del Toro: 10 Highlights From Their Memento Q&A|last=Yamato |first=Jen |publisher=Movieline.com|date=11 February 2011|access-date=12 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160918210316/http://movieline.com/2011/02/05/when-nolan-met-del-toro-10-highlights-from-their-memento-qa/|archive-date=18 September 2016|url-status=live}}

Filmmakers Nolan has cited as influences include: Stanley Kubrick,{{cite web|last=Jensen|first=Jeff|title=To 'Room 237' and Beyond: Exploring Stanley Kubrick's 'Shining' influence with Christopher Nolan, Edgar Wright, more|url=https://www.ew.com/article/2013/04/06/room-237-stanley-kubrick-shining-influence/2|work=Article|publisher=Entertainment Weekly|date=6 April 2013|access-date=12 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924125541/http://www.ew.com/article/2013/04/06/room-237-stanley-kubrick-shining-influence/2|archive-date=24 September 2015|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=A Conversation with Christopher Nolan|last=Dager |first=Nick |url=http://digitalcinemareport.com/article/conversation-christopher-nolan|work=Digital Cinema Report|access-date=20 April 2013|date=February 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151006005539/http://digitalcinemareport.com/article/conversation-christopher-nolan|archive-date=6 October 2015|url-status=live}} Quay Brothers,{{cite news|url=http://www.indiewire.com/article/why-the-quay-brothers-in-35mm-is-one-of-christopher-nolans-greatest-accomplishments-20150820|title=Why 'The Quay Brothers in 35mm' is One of Christopher Nolan's Greatest Accomplishments|work=Indiewire|access-date=21 August 2015|date=20 August 2015}}{{cite magazine|url=http://www.ew.com/article/2015/07/27/christopher-nolan-short-film-quay?|title=Christopher Nolan's next movie is a documentary short|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|access-date=28 July 2015|date=27 July 2015}}

Michael Mann,{{cite magazine|url=https://variety.com/2016/film/in-contention/heat-christopher-nolan-michael-mann-al-pacino-robert-de-niro-academy-1201854410/|title=Christopher Nolan Talks Michael Mann's 'Heat' With Cast and Crew at the Academy|last=Tapley |first=Kristopher |date=7 September 2016|magazine=Variety|access-date=6 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170207112611/http://variety.com/2016/film/in-contention/heat-christopher-nolan-michael-mann-al-pacino-robert-de-niro-academy-1201854410/|archive-date=7 February 2017|url-status=live}} Terrence Malick, Orson Welles,{{cite news|last=Lawrence|first=Will|title=Christopher Nolan Interview for Inception|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmmakersonfilm/7894376/Christopher-Nolan-interview-for-Inception.html|work=The Telegraph|access-date=16 May 2013|date=19 July 2012|location=London|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131117141943/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmmakersonfilm/7894376/Christopher-Nolan-interview-for-Inception.html|archive-date=17 November 2013|url-status=live}} Fritz Lang,{{cite web|last=Vejvoda|first=Jim|title=Chris Nolan's Dark Knight Rises Movie Influences|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2012/07/30/chris-nolans-dark-knight-rises-movie-influences|work=IGN|access-date=20 April 2013|date=30 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131009054747/http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/07/30/chris-nolans-dark-knight-rises-movie-influences|archive-date=9 October 2013|url-status=live}} Nicolas Roeg,{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/mar/10/nicolas-roeg|title=Nicolas Roeg: 'I don't want to be ahead of my time'|last=Gilbery |first=Ryan |website=The Guardian|date=10 March 2011 |access-date=21 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180321192724/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/mar/10/nicolas-roeg|archive-date=21 March 2018|url-status=live}} Sidney Lumet, David Lean,{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/2012/07/18/dark-knight-rises-bring-knight/|title=The Dark Knight Rises': Bring on the 'Knight|last=Jensen |first=Jeff |magazine=Entertainment Weekly|access-date=29 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130528134237/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20612774_2,00.html|archive-date=28 May 2013|url-status=live}} Ridley Scott, Terry Gilliam, and John Frankenheimer.{{Cite web |url=http://www.christophernolan.net/biography.php |title=The Unofficial Christopher Nolan Website |website=christophernolan.net |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120126160313/http://www.christophernolan.net/biography.php |archive-date=26 January 2012 |access-date=26 January 2012}} He has also praised Sergio Leone, Andrei Tarkovsky, David Lynch and Jacques Tourneur.Shone (2020), p. 16. Nolan's personal favourite films include Blade Runner (1982), Star Wars (1977), The Man Who Would Be King (1975), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Chinatown (1974), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Withnail and I (1987), and Chariots of Fire (1981).Shone (2020), p. 33.{{cite news|url=http://www.24lps.net/directorsrecommend/nolan.html|title=Christopher Nolan's recommends|year=2001|publisher=DirectorsRecommend|access-date=29 January 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130111101336/http://www.24lps.net/directorsrecommend/nolan.html|archive-date=11 January 2013|df=dmy-all}}{{cite magazine|url=https://deadline.com/2017/12/christopher-nolan-discusses-the-dark-knight-trilogy-and-howard-hughes-film-at-bafta-1202218583/|title=Christopher Nolan Discusses Howard Hughes Film And 'The Dark Knight' Trilogy At BAFTA Event|last=White |first=Peter |magazine=Deadline|date=1 December 2017|access-date=22 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180222133303/http://deadline.com/2017/12/christopher-nolan-discusses-the-dark-knight-trilogy-and-howard-hughes-film-at-bafta-1202218583/|archive-date=22 February 2018|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/christopher-nolan-dunkirk-interview-2017-7?r=US&IR=T|title=Christopher Nolan explains the biggest challenges in making his latest movie 'Dunkirk' into an 'intimate epic'|last=Guerrasio|first=Jason|year=2017|publisher=Business Insider|access-date=23 August 2019|archive-date=25 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925095507/https://www.businessinsider.com/christopher-nolan-dunkirk-interview-2017-7?r=US&IR=T|url-status=live}} In 2013 Criterion Collection released a list of Nolan's ten favourite films from its catalogue, which included The Hit (1984), 12 Angry Men (1957), The Thin Red Line (1998), The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933), Bad Timing (1980), Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (1983), For All Mankind (1989), Koyaanisqatsi (1982), Mr. Arkadin (1955), and Erich von Stroheim's Greed (1924) (unavailable on Criterion).{{cite news|url=https://www.criterion.com/explore/191-christopher-nolan-s-top-10|title=Christopher Nolan's Top 10|date=29 January 2013|publisher=The Criterion Collection|access-date=29 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130131121906/http://www.criterion.com/explore/191-christopher-nolan-s-top-10|archive-date=31 January 2013|url-status=live}} He is also a fan of the James Bond films,{{cite web|url=http://theplaylist.net/christopher-nolan-says-hed-still-like-direct-james-bond-movie-20170710/|title=Christopher Nolan Says He'd Still Like To Direct A James Bond Movie|last=Jagernauth |first=Kevin |publisher=The Playlist|date=10 July 2017|access-date=12 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171008233656/https://theplaylist.net/christopher-nolan-says-hed-still-like-direct-james-bond-movie-20170710/|archive-date=8 October 2017|url-status=live}} citing them as a "a huge source of inspiration" and has expressed his admiration for the work of composer John Barry.{{cite news|title=10 things we learned from Christopher Nolan's Desert Island Discs|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3Lms2l5xmrKnmS0S8pCPQQS/10-things-we-learned-from-christopher-nolan-s-desert-island-discs|work=BBC Radio|access-date=27 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180227101618/http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3Lms2l5xmrKnmS0S8pCPQQS/10-things-we-learned-from-christopher-nolan-s-desert-island-discs|archive-date=27 February 2018|url-status=live}}

Nolan's habit of employing non-linear storylines was particularly influenced by the Graham Swift novel Waterland, which he felt "did incredible things with parallel timelines, and told a story in different dimensions that was extremely coherent". He was also influenced by the visual language of the film Pink Floyd – The Wall (1982) and the structure of Pulp Fiction (1994), stating that he was "fascinated with what Tarantino had done". Inception was partly influenced by Dante's Inferno, Max Ernst's Forest series, and the films Orpheus (1950), La Jetée (1962), On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), and Zabriskie Point (1970).{{cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/2010/11/pl_inception_nolan/|title=Q&A: Christopher Nolan on Dreams, Architecture, and Ambiguity|date=29 November 2010|magazine=Wired|access-date=5 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160626223325/http://www.wired.com/2010/11/pl_inception_nolan/|archive-date=26 June 2016|url-status=live}} For Interstellar, he mentioned a number of literary influences, including Flatland by Edwin Abbott Abbott, The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks, and A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/2014/11/interstellar-murphs-library/|title=9 Easter Eggs From The Bookshelf In Interstellar|last=Eilenberg |first=Jon |date=17 November 2014|magazine=Wired|access-date=18 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141117205416/http://www.wired.com/2014/11/interstellar-murphs-library/|archive-date=17 November 2014|url-status=live}} For Dunkirk, Nolan said he was inspired by the work of Robert Bresson, silent films such as Intolerance (1916) and Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927), as well as by The Wages of Fear (1953).{{cite web|url=https://thefilmstage.com/news/christopher-nolan-inspired-by-robert-bresson-and-silent-films-for-dunkirk-which-has-little-dialogue/|title=Christopher Nolan Inspired by Robert Bresson and Silent Films for 'Dunkirk,' Which Has "Little Dialogue"|last=Pearce |first=Leonard |work=The Film Stage|date=28 February 2017 |access-date=28 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170801154801/https://thefilmstage.com/news/christopher-nolan-inspired-by-robert-bresson-and-silent-films-for-dunkirk-which-has-little-dialogue/|archive-date=1 August 2017|url-status=live}} Other influences Nolan has credited include figurative painter Francis Bacon,{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/video/2013/nov/26/christopher-nolan-how-francis-bacon-inspired-dark-knight-batman-trilogy-video|title=Christopher Nolan: how Francis Bacon inspired my Dark Knight Batman trilogy – video|year=2013|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=26 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131219060452/http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/video/2013/nov/26/christopher-nolan-how-francis-bacon-inspired-dark-knight-batman-trilogy-video|archive-date=19 December 2013|url-status=live}} architects Frank Lloyd Wright, Walter Gropius, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, poet T. S. Eliot (Four Quartets, in particular),Shone (2020), p. 39. and authors Raymond Chandler (The Big Sleep influenced Nolan's first films),Shone (2020), p. 59. James Ellroy, Jim Thompson, and Charles Dickens (A Tale of Two Cities was a major influence on The Dark Knight Rises).Jesser, Pourroy (2012), p. 51.

Nolan has also praised the comedies Talladega Nights,{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAUZKe4Sq2c |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/aAUZKe4Sq2c |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|title=Christopher Nolan on his favourite Comedy Movie|via=Youtube.com}}{{cbignore}} The Curse (2023),{{Cite video |title=The Curse Q&A with Nathan Fielder & Benny Safdie Moderated by Christopher Nolan |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etoG2I6gaHE |publisher=Showtime |via=YouTube |date=January 25, 2024 |access-date=January 26, 2024}} MacGruber{{cite web|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/05/an-oral-history-of-macgruber|title="It's So Dumb, and It Just Felt So Right": An Oral History of MacGruber|last=Liebenson |first=Donald|publisher=Vanityfair.com|date=May 21, 2020|access-date=May 22, 2020}} as the blockbusters Watchmen (2009)[https://www.indiewire.com/news/general-news/christopher-nolan-zack-snyder-watchmen-ahead-of-its-time-1234930386/ Christopher Nolan Calls Zack Snyder’s ‘Watchmen’ a Film ‘Ahead of Its Time’: It Should Have Been Released Post-‘Avengers’|IndieWire] and the Fast & Furious franchise specially Tokyo Drift.{{Cite web |date=2020-12-10 |author=Adam Chitwood |title=Christopher Nolan Loves 'Fast and Furious', Says He Has a "Soft Spot" for 'Tokyo Drift' |url=https://collider.com/christopher-nolan-fast-and-furious-tokyo-drift/ |website=Collider |access-date=2022-03-07 }}{{Cite web |title=Happy Sad Confused: Christopher Nolan, Vol. II on Apple Podcasts |url=https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/christopher-nolan-vol-ii/id827905050?i=1000501794026 |access-date=2022-03-07 |website=Apple Podcasts }}

File:Cosmonova 2009c.jpg, and is credited for popularising the use of IMAX 70mm cameras in contemporary cinema.]]

Nolan is a vocal proponent of the continued use of film stock and prefers it over digital recording and projection formats, summing up his belief as, "I am not committed to film out of nostalgia. I am in favor of any kind of technical innovation but it needs to exceed what has gone before and so far nothing has exceeded anything that's come before".{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2014/03/cinemacon-christopher-nolan-warns-theatre-owners-how-interstellar-is-presented-will-be-more-important-than-any-film-hes-done-before-704897/|title=CinemaCon: Christopher Nolan Warns Theatre Owners: How 'Interstellar' Is Presented Will Be More Important Than Any Film He's Done Before|last=Hammond |first=Pete | work=Deadline|date=26 March 2014|access-date=10 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140728005051/http://www.deadline.com/2014/03/cinemacon-christopher-nolan-warns-theatre-owners-how-interstellar-is-presented-will-be-more-important-than-any-film-hes-done-before/|archive-date=28 July 2014|url-status=live}} Nolan's major concern is that the film industry's adoption of digital formats has been driven purely by economic factors as opposed to digital being a superior medium to film, saying, "I think, truthfully, it boils down to the economic interest of manufacturers and [a production] industry that makes more money through change rather than through maintaining the status quo." He opposes the use of digital intermediates and digital cinematography, which he feels are less reliable than film and offer inferior image quality. In particular, the director advocates for the use of higher-quality, larger-format film stock such as Panavision anamorphic 35mm, VistaVision, Panavision Super 70mm, and IMAX 70mm film.{{cite web|last=Weintraub|first=Steve|title=Christopher Nolan and Emma Thomas Interview|website=Collider|date=25 March 2010|url=https://www.collider.com/2010/03/25/director-christopher-nolan-and-producer-emma-thomas-interview-inception-they-talk-3d-what-kind-of-cameras-they-used-pre-viz-wb-and-a-lot-more|access-date=6 April 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100329112054/http://www.collider.com/2010/03/25/director-christopher-nolan-and-producer-emma-thomas-interview-inception-they-talk-3d-what-kind-of-cameras-they-used-pre-viz-wb-and-a-lot-more|archive-date=29 March 2010|url-status=live}} Rather than use a digital intermediate, Nolan uses photochemical colour timing to colour grade his films, which results in less manipulation of the filmed image and higher film resolution.{{cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/laff-2012-dark-knight-rises-cinematographer-wally-pfister-imax-341329|title=ILAFF 2012: 'Dark Knight Rises' Cinematographer Wally Pfister Discusses His Directorial Debut |work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=June 24, 2012|access-date=March 23, 2019|first=Carolyn|last=Giardina|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190328104220/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/laff-2012-dark-knight-rises-cinematographer-wally-pfister-imax-341329|archive-date=28 March 2019|url-status=live}} Seeking to maintain high resolution from an analogue workflow, Nolan has at times edited and created release prints for his films optically rather than though digital processes.{{cite web|url=https://ascmag.com/articles/dunkirk-wrangling-two-large-formats|title=Dunkirk Post: Wrangling Two Large Formats|last=Goldman |first=Michael |website=ascmag.com|access-date=12 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190605042051/https://ascmag.com/articles/dunkirk-wrangling-two-large-formats|archive-date=5 June 2019|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/blog/blog_post/?contentid=4295002694|title=Kodak large format film enables IMAX™ and 65mm capture on Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk|website=kodak.com|access-date=12 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170715042802/http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/Blog/Blog_Post/?contentId=4295002694|archive-date=15 July 2017|url-status=live}} On occasion he has even edited sequences for his films from the original camera negative.{{cite news|first=Steve |last=Weintraub |title=Exclusive: Exclusive: David Keighley (Head of Re-Mastering IMAX) Talks 'The Dark Knight', 'The Dark Knight Rises', 'Tron: Legacy', New Cameras, More |publisher=Collider.com |date=December 22, 2010 |url=https://collider.com/david-keighley-imax-interview-the-dark-knight-rises-tron-legacy/66297 |access-date=March 23, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110402035746/http://collider.com/david-keighley-imax-interview-the-dark-knight-rises-tron-legacy/66297 |archive-date=April 2, 2011}}. When digital processes are used, Nolan will use high resolution telecine based on a photochemical film print, striving to maintain a "film look".{{cite web|url=http://www.studiodaily.com/2010/07/editing-inception-for-a-photochemical-finish/|title=Editing Inception for a Photochemical Finish|last=Frazer |first=Bryant |website=studiodaily.com|date=12 July 2010 |access-date=12 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190417103652/http://www.studiodaily.com/2010/07/editing-inception-for-a-photochemical-finish/|archive-date=17 April 2019|url-status=live}}

File:Colin Trevorrow and Christopher Nolan (25045926926).jpg discussing the importance of film at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival]]

Nolan is credited for popularising the use of IMAX film cameras in commercial filmmaking,{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2014/film/features/with-interstellar-imax-hits-hollywoods-bigtime-1201341443/|title=With 'Interstellar,' Imax Takes Aim at the Bigger Picture|last=Lang |first=Brent |date=29 October 2014 |access-date=27 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190428115930/https://variety.com/2014/film/features/with-interstellar-imax-hits-hollywoods-bigtime-1201341443/|archive-date=28 April 2019|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/business/hollywood/la-fi-ct-imax-christopher-nolan-20170424-story.html|title=Imax embeds itself with Hollywood directors to make sure you see 'Dunkirk' and 'Transformers' on its screens|last=Faughnder |first=Ryan |website=Los Angeles Times |access-date=18 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170518120513/http://www.latimes.com/business/hollywood/la-fi-ct-imax-christopher-nolan-20170424-story.html|archive-date=18 May 2017|url-status=dead}} and has used his influence in Hollywood to showcase the IMAX format, warning other filmmakers that unless they continued to assert their choice to use film in their productions, movie studios would begin to phase out the use of film in favour of digital.{{cite web|url=http://www.laweekly.com/2012-04-12/film-tv/35-mm-film-digital-Hollywood|title=Movie Studios Are Forcing Hollywood to Abandon 35mm Film. But the Consequences of Going Digital Are Vast, and Troubling|last=Alimurung |first=Gendy |work=LA Weekly|date=12 April 2012|access-date=20 August 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120813221130/http://www.laweekly.com/2012-04-12/film-tv/35-mm-film-digital-Hollywood/|archive-date=13 August 2012|url-status=live}} In 2014, Nolan, along with directors J. J. Abrams, Quentin Tarantino and Judd Apatow, successfully lobbied for major Hollywood studios to continue to fund Kodak to produce and process film stock, following the company's emergence from Chapter 11 bankruptcy, as Kodak is currently the last remaining manufacturer of motion picture film stock worldwide.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jul/31/quentin-tarantino-christopher-nolan-kodak-film|title=Tarantino and Nolan share a Kodak moment as studios fund film processing|last=Child |first=Ben |website=TheGuardian.com |date=31 July 2014 |access-date=18 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170227150531/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jul/31/quentin-tarantino-christopher-nolan-kodak-film|archive-date=27 February 2017|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/behind-screen/christopher-nolan-jj-abrams-win-722363|title=Christopher Nolan, J.J. Abrams Win Studio Bailout Plan to Save Kodak Film|last=Giardina|first=Carolyn |website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=30 July 2014 |access-date=18 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170503195403/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/behind-screen/christopher-nolan-jj-abrams-win-722363|archive-date=3 May 2017|url-status=live}} At the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, Nolan attended a panel entitled "Power of Story", where he discussed the importance of allowing filmmakers the continued artistic choice of shooting on film. Nolan argued for the artistic merits of film on the grounds of "medium specificity", which highlights the importance that a work shot on film be presented in its original format, and "medium resistance", that the artist's choice of what medium is used to create a work will further effect choices in how a work is made.{{cite web|url=https://www.slashfilm.com/votd-90-minute-sundance-panel-with-christopher-nolan-and-more/|title=VOTD: Sundance's 90-Minute Art of Film Panel with Christopher Nolan and Colin Trevorrow|last=Anderton |first=Ethan |date=2 February 2016 |access-date=23 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190323054921/https://www.slashfilm.com/votd-90-minute-sundance-panel-with-christopher-nolan-and-more/|archive-date=23 March 2019|url-status=live}} Nolan is also a proponent of film preservation and is a member of the National Film Preservation Board,{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2017/film/news/christopher-nolan-film-preservation-library-of-congress-1202591170/|title=Film News Roundup: Christopher Nolan to Discuss Film Preservation at Library of Congress|last=McNary|first=Dave|date=16 October 2017 |access-date=5 May 2020|archive-date=30 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200830235715/https://variety.com/2017/film/news/christopher-nolan-film-preservation-library-of-congress-1202591170/|url-status=live}} as well as the board of Martin Scorsese's non-profit Film Foundation.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2015/film/news/christopher-nolan-film-foundation-board-1201477344/|title=Christopher Nolan Joins Film Foundation Board|date=22 April 2015 |access-date=1 September 2020|archive-date=20 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200820184645/https://variety.com/2015/film/news/christopher-nolan-film-foundation-board-1201477344/|url-status=live}}

Nolan is an advocate for the importance of films being shown in large-screen cinema theatres as opposed to home video formats, as he believes that, "The theatrical window is to the movie business what live concerts are to the music business{{snd}}and no one goes to a concert to be played an MP3 on a bare stage." In 2014, Nolan wrote an article for The Wall Street Journal where he expressed concern that as the film industry transitions away from photochemical film towards digital formats, the difference between seeing films in theatres versus on other formats will become trivialised, leaving audiences no incentive to seek out a theatrical experience. Nolan further expressed concern that with content digitised, theatres of the future will be able to track best-selling films and adjust their programming accordingly, a process that favours large heavily marketed studio films, but will marginalise smaller innovative and unconventional pictures. To combat this, Nolan believes the industry needs to focus on improving the theatrical experience with bigger and more beautiful presentation formats that cannot be accessed or reproduced in the home, as well as embracing the new generation of aspiring young innovative filmmakers.{{cite web|url=http://online.wsj.com/articles/christopher-nolan-films-of-the-future-will-still-draw-people-to-theaters-1404762696|title=Christopher Nolan: Films of the Future Will Still Draw People to Theaters|last=Nolan |first=Christopher |work=The Wall Street Journal|date=7 July 2014|access-date=10 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140712010115/http://online.wsj.com/articles/christopher-nolan-films-of-the-future-will-still-draw-people-to-theaters-1404762696|archive-date=12 July 2014|url-status=live}} Nolan assisted in the 2019 renovation of the DGA theatre in Los Angeles.{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/first-look-dga-unveils-renovated-theater-help-jon-favreau-1240214|title=First Look: Directors Guild Unveils Renovated Theater With Help From Jon Favreau, Christopher Nolan and More|last=Kiefer |first=Peter |work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=17 September 2019|access-date=21 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190921104218/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/first-look-dga-unveils-renovated-theater-help-jon-favreau-1240214|archive-date=21 September 2019|url-status=live}}

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Nolan emerged as "a fierce advocate" for movie theaters and film industry workers.{{cite web |last=Rubin |first=Rebecca |date=10 December 2020 |url=https://variety.com/2020/film/news/christopher-nolan-warner-bros-deal-hbo-max-1234849809/ |title=After Christopher Nolan's Explosive Remarks, Could Warner Bros. Lose Its Superstar Director? |website=Variety |access-date=11 December 2020 |archive-date=11 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201211091820/https://variety.com/2020/film/news/christopher-nolan-warner-bros-deal-hbo-max-1234849809/ |url-status=live }} He wrote about the social and cultural importance of movie theaters in an article published by The Washington Post on 21 March 2020. He described cinemas as "the most affordable and democratic of our community gathering places" and urged the United States Congress to include struggling theater chains and their employees in the federal bailout. "I hope that people are seeing our exhibition community for what it really is: a vital part of social life, providing jobs for many and entertainment for all. These are places of joyful mingling where workers serve up stories and treats to the crowds that come to enjoy an evening out with friends and family. As a filmmaker, my work can never be complete without those workers and the audiences they welcome."{{cite news|title=Christopher Nolan: Movie theaters are a vital part of American social life. They will need our help.|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/03/20/christopher-nolan-movie-theaters-are-vital-part-american-social-life-they-will-need-our-help/|newspaper=The Washington Post|last=Nolan|first=Christopher|access-date=21 March 2020|archive-date=21 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200321050838/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/03/20/christopher-nolan-movie-theaters-are-vital-part-american-social-life-they-will-need-our-help/|url-status=live}} On 30 September 2020, he signed a letter to Washington lawmakers calling on the federal government to provide support for the industry.{{cite web|title=Hollywood fears movie theaters 'may not survive' COVID-19 pandemic|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2020-09-30/hollywood-fears-for-movies-theaters-survival-amid-covid-19-pandemic|work=Los Angeles Times|last=Faughnder|first=Ryan|date=30 September 2020 |access-date=4 October 2020|archive-date=3 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201003213759/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2020-09-30/hollywood-fears-for-movies-theaters-survival-amid-covid-19-pandemic|url-status=live}} On 18 January 2021, he signed his name to a petition calling for the UK Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, to provide funding for struggling movie theaters.{{cite web|title=Christopher Nolan and Steve McQueen Part of UK Petition to Save Movie Theaters|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2021/01/christopher-nolan-steve-mcqueen-urge-uk-fund-cinemas-1234609990/|work=Los Angeles Times|last=Lopez|first=Kristen|date=18 January 2021 |access-date=11 February 2021}} Owen Gleiberman of Variety deemed Nolan "the film industry's most dynamic public advocate for the movie-theater experience."{{cite web|title=With 'Tenet' and 'Mulan,' Are Studios Taking a Hit for the Dream? (Column)|url=https://variety.com/2020/film/columns/tenet-mulan-christopher-nolan-coronavirus-1234599949/|work=Variety|last=Gleiberman|first=Owen|date=6 May 2020 |access-date=7 May 2020|archive-date=8 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200508160511/https://variety.com/2020/film/columns/tenet-mulan-christopher-nolan-coronavirus-1234599949/|url-status=live}}

Nolan, whose relationship with Warner Bros. has been described as "one of the most successful working relationships in modern show business history", publicly criticised the studio for their lack of transparency when they announced they would release their 2021 theatrical slate day-and-date on HBO Max.{{cite web |last=Masters |first=Kim |date=7 December 2020 |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/christopher-nolan-rips-hbo-max-as-worst-streaming-service-denounces-warner-bros-plan |title=Christopher Nolan Rips HBO Max as "Worst Streaming Service," Denounces Warner Bros.' Plan |website=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=11 December 2020 |archive-date=10 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201210140654/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/christopher-nolan-rips-hbo-max-as-worst-streaming-service-denounces-warner-bros-plan |url-status=live }} In an interview with NPR, he explained: "When a company starts devaluing the individual assets by using them as leverage for a different business strategy without first figuring out how those new structures are going to have to work, it's a sign of great danger for the ordinary people who work in this industry."{{Cite web|last=Shaprio|first=Ari|date=11 December 2020|title=Christopher Nolan Calls Warner Bros.' Shift To Streaming New Movies 'A Great Danger'|url=https://www.npr.org/2020/12/11/945462768/christopher-nolan-says-warner-bros-shift-to-streaming-new-movies-a-great-danger|access-date=12 December 2020|website=NPR|archive-date=11 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201211224134/https://www.npr.org/2020/12/11/945462768/christopher-nolan-says-warner-bros-shift-to-streaming-new-movies-a-great-danger|url-status=live}}

Nolan has been critical of 3D film and dislikes that 3D cameras cannot be equipped with prime (non-zoom) lenses.{{Cite news|last=Weintraub |first=Steve |title=Christopher Nolan and Emma Thomas Interview |work=Collider |date=25 March 2010|url=https://www.collider.com/2010/03/25/director-christopher-nolan-and-producer-emma-thomas-interview-inception-they-talk-3d-what-kind-of-cameras-they-used-pre-viz-wb-and-a-lot-more/ |access-date=6 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100327204348/http://www.collider.com/2010/03/25/director-christopher-nolan-and-producer-emma-thomas-interview-inception-they-talk-3d-what-kind-of-cameras-they-used-pre-viz-wb-and-a-lot-more/ |archive-date=27 March 2010 |url-status=dead}} In particular, Nolan has criticised the loss of brightness caused by 3D projection, which can be up to three foot-lamberts dimmer than the industry standard off 16 foot-lamberts. "You're not that aware of it because once you're 'in that world,' your eye compensates, but having struggled for years to get theaters up to the proper brightness, we're not sticking polarized filters in everything."{{Cite news|title=Christopher Nolan Finds 3D Alienating|last=Earnshaw |first=Helen |work=femalefirst.co.uk|date=15 June 2010|url=https://www.femalefirst.co.uk/movies/movie-news/Christopher+Nolan-81304.html|access-date=29 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181229031218/https://www.femalefirst.co.uk/movies/movie-news/Christopher+Nolan-81304.html|archive-date=29 December 2018|url-status=live}} Nolan has also argued against the notion that traditional film does not create the illusion of depth perception, saying, "I think it's a misnomer to call it 3D versus 2D. The whole point of cinematic imagery is it's three dimensional ... You know 95% of our depth cues come from occlusion, resolution, color and so forth, so the idea of calling a 2D movie a '2D movie' is a little misleading."{{Cite news|title=Christopher Nolan Tested 3D Conversion For 'Inception,' Might Use Process For 'Batman 3'|last=Lyttelton |first=Oli | work=The Playlist|date=14 June 2010|url=http://theplaylist.blogspot.com/2010/06/christopher-nolan-tested-3d-conversion.html|access-date=22 January 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110510064735/http://theplaylist.blogspot.com/2010/06/christopher-nolan-tested-3d-conversion.html|archive-date=10 May 2011|url-status=live}}

He also opposes motion interpolation, commonly referred to as the "soap opera effect", as the default setting on television.{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/christopher-nolan-and-paul-thomas-anderson-launch-new-o-1828983725|title=Christopher Nolan and Paul Thomas Anderson launch new offensive in the war on shitty TV settings|work=The AV Club|last=Barsanti |first=Sam |date=12 September 2018|access-date=13 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180913044703/https://news.avclub.com/christopher-nolan-and-paul-thomas-anderson-launch-new-o-1828983725|archive-date=13 September 2018|url-status=live}} In 2018, Nolan, Paul Thomas Anderson and other filmmakers reached out to television manufacturers in an attempt to "try and give directors a voice in how the technical standards of our work can be maintained in the home."{{cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2018/09/christopher-nolan-paul-thomas-anderson-tv-settings-motion-smoothness-1202003613/|title=Christopher Nolan and Paul Thomas Anderson Join Forces to Fix TV Settings That Mess With How Movies Look|last=Sharf |first=Jack |work=Indiewire|date=15 September 2018|access-date=14 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180915122206/https://www.indiewire.com/2018/09/christopher-nolan-paul-thomas-anderson-tv-settings-motion-smoothness-1202003613/|archive-date=15 September 2018|url-status=live}} A TV setting called "Filmmaker Mode" was announced by UHD Alliance a year later.{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/behind-screen/martin-scorsese-christopher-nolan-launching-filmmaker-mode-tv-setting-1234968|title=Martin Scorsese, Christopher Nolan Among Directors Launching "Filmmaker Mode" TV Setting|last=Giardina |first=Carolyn |work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=27 August 2019|access-date=28 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190828063847/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/behind-screen/martin-scorsese-christopher-nolan-launching-filmmaker-mode-tv-setting-1234968|archive-date=28 August 2019|url-status=live}}

Nolan also advocates physical media for home video over streaming media, particularly Ultra HD Blu-ray, citing the superior image quality which more closely preserves the filmmakers vision. Says Nolan, “There’s much less compression, there's very specific authoring, we control the color of the picture, the brightness, you know, all these things. When you stream a film, it's like broadcasting a film - we don’t have much control on how it goes out.”{{cite web | url= https://www.openculture.com/2023/07/christopher-nolan-visits-a-paris-video-store-talks-with-cillian-murphy-about-the-films-that-influenced-him.html#google_vignette | title= Christopher Nolan Visits a Paris Video Store & Talks with Cillian Murphy About the Films That Influenced Him | date=July 28, 2023}}{{cite web | url= https://www.filmjuice.com/disney-classics-in-4k-uhd/ | title= DISNEY CLASSICS IN 4K UHD | date=October 20, 2023}}{{cite web | url= https://fandomwire.com/physical-media-is-still-king-real-reason-christopher-nolan-prefers-dvd-blu-ray-over-streaming/ | title= Physical media is still king": Real Reason Christopher Nolan Prefers DVD/Blu-Ray Over Streaming | date=July 23, 2023}}{{cite web | url= https://www.degonline.org/christopher-nolan-home-viewing-has-always-informed-my-filming/ | title= Christopher Nolan: 4K UHD Is a Tremendous Opportunity | date=November 9, 2022}}{{cite web | url= https://deadline.com/2017/07/christopher-nolan-netflix-blu-ray-dunkirk-1202131786/ | title= Christopher Nolan Tells New York Crowd He Prefers Blu-ray To Netflix | date=July 19, 2017}} Nolan also emphasizes the importance of physical media libraries as a form of film preservation, stating that letting films only exist digitally or on streaming services allows companies to have too much control over their availability,{{Cite magazine |last=Sharf |first=Zack |date=November 14, 2023 |title=Christopher Nolan Says Buy 'Oppenheimer' on Blu-ray 'So No Evil Streaming Service Can Come Steal It From You': 'We Put a Lot of Care' Into Home Release |url=https://variety.com/2023/film/news/christopher-nolan-buy-oppenheimer-blu-ray-evil-streamers-1235790376/ |access-date=March 21, 2025 |magazine=Variety |archive-date=November 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231127193941/https://variety.com/2023/film/news/christopher-nolan-buy-oppenheimer-blu-ray-evil-streamers-1235790376/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last=McCormack |first=Olivia |date=November 17, 2023 |title=Christopher Nolan talks streaming, actors and "Oppenheimer" |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/movies/2023/11/17/christopher-nolan-oppenheimer-style-session/ |access-date=March 21, 2025 |issn=0190-8286 |archive-date=November 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231120022927/https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/movies/2023/11/17/christopher-nolan-oppenheimer-style-session/ |url-status=live }} and has expressed concern that the shift towards streaming is prioritising short-term growth over the long-term financial health of the industry.{{Cite web |last=Gage |first=Clint |date=November 18, 2023 |title= Christopher Nolan Goes to Bat For Physical Media: 'It’s Scary For Filmmakers' |publisher=IGN |url= https://www.ign.com/articles/christopher-nolan-goes-to-bat-for-physical-media-its-scary-for-filmmakers |access-date=April 15, 2025 |url-status=live }}

• Christopher Nolan filmography
• List of awards and nominations received by Christopher Nolan
• List of film director and actor collaborations

{{reflist}}

{{Refbegin}}

• {{Cite book |last=Mottram |first=James |title=The Making of Memento |location=New York |publisher=Faber |year=2002 |isbn=0-571-21488-6 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/makingofmemento00mott }}
• {{Cite book|last=Kellner|first=Douglas M|title=Cinema Wars: Hollywood Film and Politics in the Bush-Cheney Era|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GrQnyVqWBzYC&pg=PA2011|year=2009|publisher=Wiley-Blackwell; 1 edition|isbn=978-1405198240|access-date=12 September 2019|archive-date=24 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160624035722/https://books.google.com/books?id=GrQnyVqWBzYC&pg=PA2011|url-status=live}}
• {{Cite book |last=Hill-Parks |first=Erin |title=Discourses of Cinematic Culture and the Hollywood Director: The Development of Christopher Nolan's Auteur Persona |publisher=University of Newcastle Upon Tyne |year=2010}}
• {{Cite book |last=Fischer |first=Mark |title=The Lost Unconscious: Delusions and Dreams in Inception. |publisher=Film Quarterly, Volume 64 (3) University of California Press |year=2011}}
• {{Cite book |last1=Duncan Jesser |first1=Jody |first2=Janine |last2=Pourroy |title=The Art and Making of The Dark Knight Trilogy |publisher=Abrams|year=2012 |isbn=978-1-4197-0369-0}}
• {{Cite book |last=McGowan |first=Todd |title=The Fictional Christopher Nolan |location=Texas |publisher=The University of Texas Press |year=2012 |isbn=978-0-292-73782-2 }}
• {{Cite book |last1=Rabiger |first1=Michael |first2=Mick |last2=Hurbis-Cherrier |title=Directing: Film Techniques and Aesthetics |publisher=CRC Press |year=2013 |isbn=978-1-135-09921-3}}
• {{Cite book |last1=Furby |first1=Jacqueline |first2=Stuart |last2=Joy |title=The Cinema of Christopher Nolan: Imagining the Impossible |publisher=Columbia University Press|year=2015 |isbn=978-0-231-85076-6}}
• {{Cite book |last1=Eberl |first1=Jason T. |first2=George A. |last2=Dunn |title=The Philosophy of Christopher Nolan |publisher=Lexington Books |year=2017 |isbn=978-1-498-51352-4}}
• {{Cite book |last=Mooney |first=Darren |title=Christopher Nolan: A Critical Study of the Films |publisher=McFarland & Company, Inc. |year=2018 |isbn=978-14-766-7480-3}}
• {{Cite book |last=Joy |first=Stuart |title=The Traumatic Screen: The Films of Christopher Nolan |publisher=Intellect, The University of Chicago Press |year=2020 |isbn=978-1-78938-202-0}}
• {{Cite book |last=Shone |first=Tom |title=The Nolan Variations: The Movies, Mysteries, and Marvels of Christopher Nolan |publisher=Knopf |year=2020 |isbn=978-05-256-5532-9}}
• {{Cite book |last=Joy |first=Stuart |title=The Traumatic Screen: The Films of Christopher Nolan |publisher=Intellect Ltd |year=2020 |isbn=978-17-893-8219-8}}
• {{cite book |last=Mottram |first=James |title=The Secrets of Tenet: Inside Christopher Nolan's Quantum Cold War |year=2020 |publisher=Insight Editions|isbn=978-1-64722-060-0}}

{{Refend}}

• {{IMDb name|0634240|Christopher Nolan's filmography}}

{{Christopher Nolan}}

Category:Christopher Nolan

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